U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor is a superstar judge who just happens to be Hispanic

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

National news today: a Puerto Rican daughter of the streets overcomes all obstacles including childhood death of her third-grade educated factory-worker father, a mother who had to work six days a week to buy her and her brother a set of encyclopedias that sat in the concrete block room of her Bronx housing project apartment, makes it big as a nominee on the U.S. Supreme Court.

God Bless America!

Oh and by the way, Sonia Sotomayor is a badass judge.

Missed that part didn’t ya? I certainly did – during President Obama’s press conference and in coverage immediately afterwards. It was all about the First Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court Judge, and about the Second Woman for the Supreme Court, and about triumph over adversity and childhood Nancy Drew adventure dreams dashed because of diabetes, and not about one woman’s stunning talent and determination culminating in a seat in this country’s highest court.

Now don’t get me wrong – as many did when I wrote that the best nominee should be accomplished and wonderful despite gender or ethnicity – I’m thrilled! And humbled and inspired by this woman’s tremendous achievement and professional excellence, but gosh I wish this morning’s exciting news had focused more on that professional excellence and not just on her stunning personal story.

Sure, President Obama started off his presser by noting his nominee was chosen because of: "First and foremost… a rigorous intellect – a mastery of the law, an ability to hone in on the key issues and provide clear answers to complex legal questions.  Second is a recognition of the limits of the judicial role, an understanding that a judge's job is to interpret, not make, law; to approach decisions without any particular ideology or agenda, but rather a commitment to impartial justice; a respect for precedent and a determination to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand."

But then it was all about her triumph over adversity. Again, an incredibly awesome achievement – and darned heart-warming to see Sotomayor thank her mami publicly: "I am all I am because of her," Judge Sotomayor said, "and I am only half the woman she is," I got teary with pride – but where was the gushing about her professional achievements?

Sonia Sotomayor was appointed to the U.S. District Court by a Republican President, George H.W. Bush, and promoted to the Federal Court of Appeals by a Democrat, Bill Clinton.  Walking in the door she would bring more experience on the bench, and more varied experience on the bench, than anyone currently serving on the United States Supreme Court had when they were appointed.

Judge Sotomayor is a distinguished graduate of Princeton and Yale, would be the only justice with experience as a trial judge, has presided over roughly 450 cases and brings with her a stamp of approval from none other than George H.W. Bush who appointed her to the District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1992 – when she was still in her 30’s!

According to the White House backgrounder, "If confirmed, Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice in 100 years, and more overall judicial experience than anyone confirmed for the Court in the past 70 years." Oh how I wish that was the predominant headline!

It goes without saying that some will harshly criticize her – that just goes with the territory. They’ll do so because she’s perceived as liberal, or because she’s a woman, or because she once made the following disturbing comment: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

Oh there’s more: allusions to a "Latino agenda," controversy regarding Fire Department promotion tests…it will all come out in the following weeks, it’s open season; heck at the afternoon press conference a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs if the White House was sure she’d paid her taxes. He replied, "I have not seen anything on that."

Sotomayor is President Obama’s pick, and if she should become the 111th U.S. Supreme Court Justice, let’s not let Sotomayor be labeled the "best Hispanic Supreme Court judge" around but, rather, the best choice to represent the people of United States on the Supreme Court who just so happens to be Hispanic.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Comments

[blackmamba]

But in America white supremacy is always ultimately based upon an assumption of white moral and intellectual superiority that is not blunted by the presumptively "rare" occasional super Black or Hispanic. Indeed the exception proves the "rule". Of course Sotamayor's professional record is so exemplary it has to be ignored by her enemies. Better to focus on her being Hispanic which is a substitute for saying she is lazy, ignorant and immoral.

Thus we have white racist high graduate political hack Karl Rove and white racist high school graduate entertainer radio clown Rush Limbaugh opining about the limited intellect of the high school graduate valedictorian, Princeton summa cum laude Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Yale Law School graduate and Law Review editor Sonia Sotamayor. The two dumbest white guys in the room have an audience and a stage only because they are white with legions like them clinging to being white as their only evidence of any merit.

This was a brilliant political legislative and judicial selkection. Compared to the immoral sexual harasser inexperienced dimwit Clarence Thomas who was far from best qualified black conservative Republican Supreme Court candidate Sonia Sotamayor resembles the mighty Thurgood Marshall. To many racist dumb white guys have gotten it wrong as often as the smart good white guys have gotten it right.

That the experience of an Hispanic woman from a humble background will have some impact on how she views the facts and the law is to state the obvious. That is the way the white boys have always been doing it all along. The law is part art,, history, interpretation and experience where there is a constant war between certainty and justice in the law. Facts and people before the law are diverse. But for too long the judges were always white males.

But then what race is Sonia Sotamayor? There is no Hispanic/Latina race. From the fair blonde blue eyed Eva Peron through the brown skinned brown eyed Benito Juarez to the yellow skinned brown eyed Alberto Fujimori to the ebony skinned coarse hair of Minnie Minoso and evey admixture therein you have Spanish culture and language as the only unifying factor. What race is Barack Obama? There is only one human race.

[Edgar Davila]

I see you still don't have a clue.